Feature Bat Villains

July 25, 2008

As part of Batweek, we look at ten possible villains for any future batman movie.

“This town deserves a better class of criminal and I’m going to give to them”

The now immortalised words of the Joker are the subject of this feature and where, if Christopher Nolan continues the franchise, we go from here? With Heath Ledger sadly no longer with us, it seems unlikely that the Joker will return in any future films (and rightly so for who could do justice do Ledger’s portrayal?)

Here, we look at some of the possible alternative villains for Batman 3. We know it’s early days but speculation is half the fun. Be warned: spoilers for the Dark Knight after the jump!

With a 70-year back catologue, Nolan can take his pick of bad guys; here are just ten of the possiblities for Batman 3:

(1)TWO FACEBefore seeing Dark Knight, Harvey Dent/Two Face seemed the most likely villain for the sequel. We weren’t expecting to see as much of Two-Face as we did but ,as a counterpoint to the Joker, Eckhart was flawless in both roles. Though his fate remains unclear at the end of the Dark Knight (is he dead or perhaps merely unconscious?), Eckhart would be a welcome return to the franchise.

(2) THE RIDDLEROne of the strongest characters from the Batman mythos, we would gladly welcome the return of Edward Nygma. But riddle me this: WHO would play this ever-enigmatic supervillain?

(3) POISON IVY Seduced by her twisted professor, Alec Holland, and injected with an experimental toxin, Pamela Isley is transformed into the super-powered Poison Ivy. In these days of global awareness perhaps Poison Ivy is an apt (but obvious) choice. But a obvious sexy redhead, is still a sexy redhead!

(4) THE PENGUINDespite the strength of the character, we’re reluctant to see Oswald Cobblepot return only because we can’t envisage anyone but Danny DeVito as the freakish millionaire Penguin. That said, there were rumours that Nolan was going to cast the character for the Dark Knight with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the role. Hoffmann waddling about, I’m sold!

(5) CATWOMANThough Dark Knight scribe David Goyer has gone on record to say there will be no Catwoman in any future Batman films, we can’t but hope they change their minds. Yes, she has seen a fair amount of screen time in various forms but some anti-heroes are just classics – Catwoman does good, but isn’t exactly happy about it and that’s why we love her. Plus, with Rachel Dawes out of the picture, we need someone to keep the Bat brooding.

(6) TALIA AL GHUL Another anti-hero, Talia Al Ghul is the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson from Batman Begins). Within the series, Talia has appeared as a recurring romantic interest for Batman, however the character is certainly no heroine. She has committed various criminal acts (more out of loyalty to her father rather than for personal gain). If Nolan was looking to make a Batman trilogy, the introduction of Talia may add a certain cyclical quality to the franchise.

(7) MR. FREEZE If done right, i.e. no California State representatives in sight, Dr. Victor Fries or Mr. Freeze would certainly make for a chilling (har har) character. In the most common variation of his origin story, he is a former cryogenics expert who suffered an industrial accident while attempting to treat his terminally ill wife, Nora. With dear ol’ Nora dead, Freeze builds himself a cryogenic suit and bases his crimes around a “cold” or “ice” theme, complete with a “cold gun” that freezes its targets solid.

(8) BANE

Born in a prison on the island nation of Santa Prisca and condemned to a life sentence thanks to the crimes of his father, Bane sustained himself through years of torture on the stories of the Batman’s quest to protect Gotham. With superhuman strength (through a forced experiment involving the drug Venom) he eventually breaks out of and decides to destroy his idol both mentally and physically… Like you do. A complete history Bane and co. might be too much for one film but if Nolan was looking to extend the series, Bane could work on screen.

(9)HARLEY QUINNA former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist, Harleen Quinzel is driven mad by her patients including her sometime boyfriend the Joker. Harley Quinn, more a side-kick than super-villain, could be a link to the missing Joker in the next film?

(10) VENTRILOQUIST AND SCARFACEOk Ok, maybe not but for the sake of comedy, we’d be interested in seeing how this duo was tackled on screen. The pair consist of a meek, quiet man, the Ventriloquist, who plans and executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s gangster, complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and Tommy gun. We simply can’t say no to a good ol’ schizo!

So there you have it, ten possible villains. Do you agree, disagree, who do you want to see starring in any future Batman movie?